 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  White long-legged wading bird Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. Thursday, 3:16 PM – on the upper pond, I spy a Great Egret fishing and preening from a small branch just above the green pond waters swollen from all the rains. I quickly take a knee before he sees me. Before even approaching the pond, I had all ready. My camera settings adjusted appropriately for the lens and overcast skies; my monopod already adjusted to a kneeling position. I could begin firing immediately. Several shots, then move closer… and closer… and closer. Quite the cooperative Egret! I sat for nearly 20 minutes and took 345 shots. That will take a while to cull and edit! Walton County, Georgia  Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.  White Great Egret wading bird spear fishing  White Great Egret wading bird spear fishingon log in swamp  Great Egret in green swamp bog. Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA.
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 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  “’For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours!' I looked then and saw that his robes, which had seemed white, were not so, but were woven of all colours, and if he moved they shimmered and changed hue so that the eye was bewildered.” JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings Thursday, 6:31 PM – relaxing on my back patio on a weekday. A free weekday evening seems to be a rarer luxury of late. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird activity has finally picked up quite a bit. My wondering as to why we haven’t had the sky battles between the females like in previous years has ceased. There are now plenty of skirmishes over the feeder. One male will sit and enjoy a close-by perch in the Crepe Myrtle and go for repeated drafts when the coast is clear of the bullying females.  Male red throat Ruby-throated Hummingbird in perched in Crepe Myrtle tree. Athens, Georgia, USA I snuck the lens of my 600mm through a crack in the door and watched. It was amazing to see the shift in color on his throat depending upon how he turned his head. One second a dark, drab, then the next a brilliant ruby red! How does this work? Others have adequately described this phenomenon, so I quote them here: "The stunning throat feathers of the male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is what earned the bird its name. When glowing a bright red, it's a sight to behold. But one turn of the head can click off the color, like switching the lights off in a room. "Why is his gorget an iridescent red at times, and at other times, just a patch of dark feathers? You see, the little individual feathers that make up the Ruby-throated Hummingbird's gorget are not red at all. They have no pigment or coloration within them. The color comes from the shape and microscopic structure of the feathers and how light interacts with those microscopic structures. So depending on the lighting and the angle at which you see the hummingbird's throat, the feathers will either appear an iridescent red or a flat black." source Athens, Georgia  Male red throat Ruby-throated Hummingbird in perched in Crepe Myrtle tree. Athens, Georgia, USA  Male red throat Ruby-throated Hummingbird in perched in Crepe Myrtle tree. Athens, Georgia, USA. 
 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, North American Raptor bird of prey. Close up portrailt profile of beak, feathers, eye. Sick juvenile red-tailed hawk picked by Animal Control. Walton County, Monroe, Georgia, USA. Tuesday, 10:55 AM – The Department of Natural Resources' game wardens were all tied up and asked us at animal control to respond in regards to a sick hawk on the side of a country road. Upon arriving, it was quite apathetic to human handling. It didn’t protest, try to get away or even defend itself. I propped it on a low branch, but it wobbled and nearly fell off the perch a few times. I knew it wouldn't make it if left out there. I got some close up shots before placing it in a carrier to transport to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Walton County, Georgia  Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, North American Raptor bird of prey. Close up portrailt profile of beak, feathers, eye. Sick juvenile red-tailed hawk picked by Animal Control. Walton County, Monroe, Georgia, USA.
 Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, North American Raptor bird of prey. Close up portrailt profile of beak, feathers, eye. Sick juvenile red-tailed hawk picked by Animal Control. Walton County, Monroe, Georgia, USA. 
 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Argiope aurantia, yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, McKinley spider, St. Andrew`s cross spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA. Thursday, 7:57 AM - A short morning walk before the day gets started to see what critters may be up on the shelter ponds. Several Yellow Garden Spiders (Argiope aurantia) were busy over the duckweed bog last night. There were at least five large, perfectly formed webs suspended over the still water of the bog. This conspicuous arachnid goes by several names: yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, or McKinley spider. In Australia, Argiope are known as St. Andrew's cross spiders, for their habit of resting in the web with legs outstretched in the shape of an X, the cross of St. Andrew.  Argiope aurantia, yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, McKinley spider, St. Andrew`s cross spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA. When a co-worker looked at my photo, he added another moniker: Zipper Spider. Their webs contain a dense zigzag, or stabilimentum, in the center. Hence the nicknames Zipper Spider and Writing Spider. I am not much of a spider aficionado, and much less a spider identifcation expert. But an internet search indicated the other spider may be a Longbodied Cellular Spider, Pholcus phalangioides. Walton County, Georgia  Pholcus phalangioides, Longbodied Cellar Spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA.  Argiope aurantia, yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, McKinley spider, St. Andrew`s cross spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA.  Argiope aurantia, yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, McKinley spider, St. Andrew`s cross spider. Walton County, Georgia, USA.  Spider Web  William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Thursday,8:05 AM – While taking a walk up to the duckweed bog behind the animal shelter to check in on a family of Green Herons, I was repeatedly scolded by a scruffed up little yellow bird. Each time a neared a group of small pines, this White Eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) would alight nearby, flitting around and emit a buzz-like chirping, obviously directed at me. I gather her nest was nearby and she simply didn't approve of my presence! The White-eyed Vireo is a small and secretive bird of shrubby areas of the eastern and southern United States. It is more noticeable for its explosive song than its looks. Walton County, Georgia |
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In December 1993 I came to know the Designer and Creator of this wonderful planet and its creatures: Jesus Christ.
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